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Thanks Steve and Troble. This is the start of my bench top. And oiled. It was going to be a chopping board bench top. Don’t think I can chop on this now......... maybe after the first year Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yesterday was the first cook on my ‘new to me’ KK. I wanted to try a long smoke, and choose a small pork butt as the subject. 4 lbs. On the 23 at 7am: About nine hours of smooth sailing at 235 to 250. After settling in, the Kk held temperature like no cooker I have used before. And then plated for the family: Served with naan, cucumber and yogurt sauce. My wife wanted to try a Mediterranean style dish. Wife made the naan dough and we cooked that on the KK just prior to serving. I’ve been smoking pork butts on Kamados for years, but never had this set it and forget it experience. Always had to chase temps- some kamados more forgiving than others. This would make me foil the meat at the stall just to get the cook finished. The KK allowed me to do the entire cook without foiling, and the result was fantastic. The fat was rendered thoroughly, and I don’t get that result when I need to wrap. A great first run!! Eric Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Burgers last night on the 42. I wish I would have had some buns, but not worth going to town and dying over. Hope everyone is staying safe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looking through some old pics and found some of the 23" Ultimate strapped in for the trip from Aspen,Co to Corrales,NM. You can see the block suggested for transport under it in the first two pictures.

Lamb shoulder rotisserie this Sunday evening. And here it is on the turn while I carefully watch my beer. This was good... sorry no plated photos, gobbled up too quick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Paging @MacKenzie, we need some bun help over here. 😁 Nice job on the burgers!

A nice sunny day here yesterday (unlike the cloudy day today), so back to the grill. Another one of those bigass country style pork ribs - Cuban mojo marinade this time, rubbed with Sucklebusters BAMM Indirect, 275F with hickory and cherry wood chunks (leftovers from the smoker pot that didn't burn up). Plated with drunken black bean (awesome!) and yellow rice. Not authentic, but a big dollop of guacamole on the side. While I was having my mojito on the deck during this cook, an owl began to hoot very loudly from my neighbor's evergreen in his backyard. I couldn't see it for the foliage. After a couple of choruses, it got a reply from another owl down at the bottom of the hill. Next thing I know, the owl from down below had flown up into a tree in my backyard and the ensuing conversation got a bit more intense. Territorial squabbling I suppose. I ran and grabbed my camera and managed to get a picture of the owl in my yard before the squabble ended and they flew off in there separate ways. Friends that I showed this picture to have said that it's a Barred Owl. I guess they are fairly common around here. I hear them a lot, but rarely get to actually see one.

Run while you can, sweet child. I was once like you. I made jokes and mocked the Mockmillers. Bread came from the Czech couple down the road who have built up a fabulous bakery and business and our guest flours came in the form of einkorn loaves from our monthly farmer's market. And now? I am a bread obsessive, finding people to foist my bread onto so that I can make more, ever more, in the search for that elusive, perfect loaf. Run, run, run!

Here's the before and after, using a natural Dutch oil application. I was pleased with the results, and the wood should be protected now for a year or so.

Well, the rains finally came and the cooking out streak ended. 😪 But, all was not lost, Indian spiced fried shrimp, with homemade pesto & cream sauce on angel hair! While not grilled, it didn't suck!

Plant delivery today! Rain in forecast all week do not sure when they’ll get planted but for now my front yard looks like a forest

Awesome first cook Eric! Either you've been seriously busy scrubbing, or that KK didn't see much use from its previous owner? Olive Gold Pebble, great choice, they definitely cook a little better than the other colours

Sure we can have a KK owners convention in San Diego! I’ll happily host

Indeed. Sliced up and fried like bacon, with sous vide eggs on thick toast. btw - was watching Cooks Country last night and used their SV technique on the eggs = 167F for 12 mins, then 1 min in an ice water bath.

Been looking for einkorn berries since I've run out. Apparently the hoarders have made a run on these? @ Pequod, Fieldstone sells organic einkorn berries.

Nailed it!

The only time that I've overshot the target with my Guru is on a very windy day. Too much vacuum drag through the fan damper. Learned my lesson and always keep the fan damper at least halfway closed. Also keep the top damper almost closed, barely off the seat. Let the fan and controller do the heavy lifting.

Organic Durum Wheat! Let us know how that turns out, we weren't happy with our source. I had hoped to at least make it our primary wheat for pasta, but I was just name-matching. We like Hard Red best, mixed down with semolina flour. I ordered our Durum Wheat kernels in New York (my work apartment) and flew half of it to California (our home). At JFK security I was selected for testing, perhaps because this looked odd on the X-ray. As an aside, I used to fly a lot, and I'm no stranger to unusual experiences at airport security. After we moved my Mom from Maine to California, we were closing up her house to sell, and I took responsibility for transporting what we hadn't scattered of my Dad's ashes. Now, we're a bit of an odd family, and these ashes had a storied history. My wife and I were on the phone with my Mom when the box came by postal mail, and she brightly said "Oh, your Dad's home!" He had died from dementia, but the proximate cause was thirst once he couldn't swallow. When I next saw the ashes box, it was still unopened, but there was a bottle of spring water on top. I cautiously asked my Mom if there was any significance to this? No, it was an available horizontal surface. Finally, my family gathered to scatter his ashes from Peaks Island, and my Mom asked that we reserve some ashes for her to keep. We lined a ball jar with some red tissue, and I took the still-unopened box down to the cellar, to my Dad's old workbench. Irish Catholic Mom, woodworking hobbyist Dad. Alter, workbench. Made sense to me. My sister came down to see the proceedings, and exclaimed in shock that I was spilling ashes onto the workbench. "So?!" She then got it. My brother now has this workbench. To fly with the ball jar, I took absurd precautions, and it was wrapped in substantial foam. I was the first bag for a new shift at security, and this really looked funny on the X-ray. "What's in the jar?" the agent asked brightly. People in Portland, Maine are friendly. "My Dad." I'm a bit insulated from how people outside my family take this sort of thing. Normally after any concern at airport security, you're no longer allowed to touch the items of interest. Here, I basically had to spend the next ten minutes counseling the guy, and he stood as far back as possible while I moved the jar to its own bin to be X-rayed again. Ok, back to the Durum Wheat kernels. This experience could well have colored my relationship with that variety of wheat. The Durum Wheat kernels flunked the explosives test. If you've never had this happen to you at an airport before, let me tell you, it's a real mood changer. I was no longer allowed to touch my possessions. I was taken to a room, stripped to my skivvies for a body search while they went through my baggage very carefully. This was before I had learned (in fact, how I had learned) that only a complete frickin' moron doesn't have a dedicated pocket in their carryon for their pocket valuables. My wallet, keys, phone, money clip were loose in the gray bin, and they returned everything to me. Except my money clip. When I asked where it was, the lead security officer flat-out told me I was lying. She was pretty smart; I was struck earlier by her remark that organic grain shouldn't flunk a nitrogen test, was I sure this grain was really organic? But she reverted to form. (I want to say something obscene about Mitch McConnell here, as we're all pretty frustrated in the US right now, but I would be digressing.) I insisted on filing a police report. Then the money clip appeared without apology. It had stayed in its bin until the bin made its way through the rotation, and a passenger spotted it as they were about to use the bin. Honest person, they turned it in, I got it back. Then the TSA made me wait for the police agent to arrive; the fact that the report was no longer necessary didn't matter. Two can play power games. One doesn't want to ask me about emergency preparations, on board a dive ship. The computer programmer in me tends to anticipate everything. After a few minutes of my answer, no one would want to dive. So, yes, like my bread spreadsheets I have spreadsheets for my travel schedules, and I have a very active imagination for what could go wrong. Of course I made my flight.

Great cook!

I have made these and like them a lot. Hamburger Buns https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/beautiful-burger-buns-recipe#reviews 170 to 227g lukewarm water* (I used 180g.) 28g butter, at room temperature 1 large egg · 418g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 50g sugar 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon instant yeast *For best results (a smooth, slightly soft dough), use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time. TOPPING 43g melted butter INSTRUCTIONS Mix and knead all the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — to make a soft, smooth dough. Cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk. Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3" across. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until noticeably puffy. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter. Bake the buns in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter. This will give the buns a satiny, buttery crust. Cool the buns on a rack. Yield: 8 large buns. (92g or 93g for 8 buns or 82g for 9 smaller buns.) · For slightly smaller buns, divide the dough into 12 pieces instead of 8. Bake the buns for 12 to 15 minutes, instead of 15 to 18 minutes. And how about "slider buns" — about 3" in diameter? Divide the dough into 24 pieces and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Use a MAP torch to light the fire. You can either light a small area for a low and slow, or move the flame around to make a bigger fire to get the lump to temp quickly. Also, before a low and slow I make sure my KK is cleaned out completely for maximum airflow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice cook. How did u get your grates so clean??

Your KK is looking great as is the pork butt. Nice smoke ring too.

@Bruce Pearson my local butcher shop makes them and they marinate them in Jack Daniels. They used to be called Jack Daniels sausages until they got slapped around by the trade mark police. So they now call them bourbon sausages. We used to cook these at our tailgates every week when the chargers are here. I’ve pretty much switched to only eating these sausages about 19 years ago. It’s really hard to mess them up unless you forget about them and overcook them. Butcher makes it easy

Beautiful cook! Looks like the KK cleaned up beautifully too!

Basher, that looks sooooooooooo tasty.

Looking good nice spin Sent from my SM-T835 using Tapatalk

Bourbon sausages

Now all you need are hands on that clock, two pieces of chives should do it.

Braai I find it hard enough baking bread with modern ingredients. I can’t source any of that stuff Tekobo bakes with. Pequod seems to knock out loaves consistently. I’ll be stuffed if I know how. I’m trying again tonight. Have a theory that it’s too hot and humid here for dough- even 60% is hard to handle and it does very little for hours, then up to full rise and backs off within 30 minutes. Today’s dough has spent time in the fridge just as it starts to rise. Looking pretty good.... so far [emoji1696]. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s a funny story syzygies. Do you think the wheat packers could have been shooting rabbits? Or making their own ammo? One think that amazes me about the US is their gun culture and the ease of access to firearms. It can be intimidating for an outsider if you are not used to this. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow, it does look like a forest and that means beautiful.

WOW, that's a lot of plants. Your yard is going to be a veritable botanical garden when everything gets done!

My best guess is that you might be running low on charcoal trying to get that thick pizza stone up to that high a temperature, as the 19" charcoal basket is a bit smaller than a 23". You might be better off with the steel, per Dennis' recommendation.

That is the same Durum wheat that I have been using for year. My berries are old but they still seem to be working OK. Many of my pasta cooks that I post on the Forum are made using that same Durum wheat that I just received. I bought organic winter hard wheat from this same source years and years ago. I also bought organic hard wheat from a local health food store but could not determine if it was the spring or winter hard wheat. When I decided to freshen up my supply I decided to try the organic hard spring wheat to see if I notice a difference between that and the organic hard winter wheat.

True, but the fire has no problem getting blazing hot without the stone or tray. It is only with the stone/tray in place that it doesn't get as quite as hot. The drip tray is only 13.5", so I think a pizza steel would need to be relatively small diameter. The best option I have found so far is a pizzacraft baking steel with 14" diameter.

I am considering attaching a metal bowl to the underside of the main grate. I was thinking that perhaps that would provide the aerodynamic features that directs the air around the stone/tray and keeps the airflow streaming around the it. Just a crazy theory.

I have hard red wheat on an Amazon subscription! Been looking for einkorn berries since I've run out. Apparently the hoarders have made a run on these?

You could also try using larger lump pieces (and no small pieces) to improve overall airflow.

Look what came in my mail today, actually it drop a run at the door step. I just ordered this to top up what I already have on hand.

That’s an excellent first cook Eric. Well done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks delish!

+1

Thanks! I need to spend some more time on the finish, but was happy with the initial clean up of the exterior.

Hang in there Basher. Brings back fresh memories of going through this summer before last. I had to balance walking across joists to get to the kk and we call it the year of the lost summer. This will be done soon, beautiful, and you will be enjoying it and not even remembering this part.

As the song goes, "Keep on rockin' in the free world!" The morning showers gave way to afternoon sun, so Game On for grilling dinner! Moroccan chicken with couscous. Chicken breasts rubbed with green Harissa and za'atar, direct, over cherry wood, 325F. Plated with couscous with green onions, parsley, roasted garlic and toasted pine nuts. Tahini sauce. Side spinach salad.

The look is sometimes disappointing but home made bread (almost) always tastes great. Einkorn loaf and mussels made for a simple, tasty lunch yesterday.

Basher, that's an usual fire pit, how thick is that metal? You certainly don't find one like that at the local hardware! I was thinkin, right along the rim you could attach some nice cup holders or clean it out and make a giant volcano drink with huge straws you know, one of those sharing drinks. When this all passes of course. That is an awesome look with all the rust

Yes, best to dump when not certain. Great fire pit.:)

The kids want to see how the fire pit area was, so we have it a go after the plumbers had run the lines for gas, hot and cold water, sewerage for waste and stormwater. Used it as an opportunity to burn some of the scrap timber rather than dumping it. It’s hard to tell what’s been treated these days. If in doubt, it’s dumped. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk